


reize dies at the end

by Chimera Manticore (chimeramanticore)



Category: Shovel Knight
Genre: Angst, Father-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22350430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimeramanticore/pseuds/Chimera%20Manticore
Summary: Reize and Donovan have been an adventuring duo for years now. They've seen their fair share of mishaps and danger. But confronting mortality is a lot harder when one of you is dying and the other is already undead, so
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	reize dies at the end

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself I'd think of a better title for this fic and it just never happened so here we are
> 
> There's no specific trigger warnings in this fic, it's really just all on the tin here so if you're not into reading a fic about Donovan's surrogate son bleeding out then this is a good time to leave
> 
> I do wanna note that Reize in this fic is meant to be a lot older than he is in canon! I imagine him and Donovan do a lot of adventuring stuff post-canon and they develop a really close bond. The events of this fic take place probably around when Reize is in his 30s.

If you asked Reize, he wouldn't have been able to tell you what had happened. He had hit his head on the way down from the fall. That combined with the raging snowstorm they were in made for a foggy memory. All he knew was he hurt, and he was cold, and he was lost.

He must have only been unconscious for a few seconds, maybe a minute, judging by the fact that the bloodstains he left in the snow where he laid weren't that big. He slowly stood, leaning against the rock that made up the cliff he'd fallen off of. This wasn't the first time he'd been hurt. He had no reason to panic.

But he still needed to find Donovan. So Reize took a first cautious step forward, each added step with more certainty, and started off into the snow.

He wandered around for what felt like forever, though it was likely only a few minutes, before realizing he wouldn't be able to continue like this for much longer. At this rate, it was becoming a contest to see if the cold or his steady blood loss would kill him first. He glanced around and was able to make out what looked like a cave about thirty feet off- a small respite from the cold. He sighed with relief and made his way over.

Reize all but collapsed directly inside the entrance to the cave. He did little to fix his position- he didn't have the energy. Instead, he just curled himself into a little ball. Maybe that would block out the cold, he thought passively. Maybe it would help him ignore the pain. Maybe he just felt small. It didn't matter. It was hard to think straight by now anyway. He hated this feeling; feeling halfway between being awake and unconscious. It was fine when he was falling asleep, but the all-too-persistent pain in his side, that too-familiar ache that shifted to something sharper when he moved the wrong way… it made falling asleep much more unsettling. Much more dangerous.

Reize suddenly became aware of a presence in front of him. He looked up and saw Donovan standing there, his mask pulled down and his scythe in hand.

“Donovan,” Reize said, smiling. Donovan kneeled, reaching out a hand. Reize placed his hand in Donovan’s. Neither of them made an effort to move.

Donovan had seen death far too many times, both from his own experiences and from watching others’. He knew the process like the back of his hand. Reize had asked him about it more than once. Both of them had had death looming over their heads in one way or another for most of their lives, and they’d developed a mutual fear of the thing at some point. But still, they both still found solace in talking about it. Trying to understand it helped.

If there was one thing Reize had taken away from what Donovan had told him, it was that everyone had their own time.

“A person can be close to death but not be ready for it,” he had explained. “That’s not their time, then. You will always be ready for it when your time comes.”

“How do I know if I’m ready?” Reize had asked. Donovan paused to think before answering.

“...You don’t panic, mostly,” he said. “You’ll know you’re dying, but you’re okay with that. You’re calm, and you accept it. You’ll just... know.”

Donovan put away his scythe and sat down by Reize, taking him out of his thoughts.

“You’re okay,” he said gently, still holding his hand. “You’re going to be alright.”

“Donovan, I…” Reize trailed off. This was different. This was happening different. He’d been in this position before, and it was never like this. It was never so calm. It was never so resigned. This couldn’t be it.

“I-I’m not ready,” he said, feeling a knot form in his throat. “I don’t want it to be like this.” His face warmed, and he felt tears prick at the edges of his eyes.

“Oh, Reize,” Donovan said. “Don’t cry, please. Come here.” Donovan reached down, pulling Reize up from where he laid and brought him into a hug. Reize couldn’t stop himself from crying. He felt like a kid again, suddenly. He felt like he was only 14, going on his first adventure with Donovan again. He felt so small and immature and… afraid.

“This isn’t it,” he said. “This can’t be it. I’m not ready. I don’t want to leave.”

“You’re worrying about the wrong things,” Donovan told him. “Think of everyone you’re going to get to see again. Friends, family, loved ones… You’ll be able to see your dad again.”

“ _ You’re _ my dad.”

Donovan was silent. For once, didn’t know what to say.

“...I should’ve thanked you earlier,” Reize said quietly. He pulled away from the hug and shifted so that his head was resting against Donovan’s chest.

“What do you mean?”

“For being my dad. For being a better parent than anyone else would’ve been able to. You were… you were perfect.”

“I wasn’t perfect.”

“You were everything I could’ve wanted. So… thank you.”

“I… I suppose I should thank you, too.”

“For what?”

“For letting me be your dad.”

Reize laughed, the sound coming out more strained than he meant it to. He realized he had been staring out at the snow falling for a while now, and that it was much easier to keep doing so. Still, despite how heavy he felt, he worked up the strength to look up at Donovan, who’d pulled up his mask by now. Greeted with gentle eyes, a kind smile… He’d been smiling more than he used to when Reize was still just a teenager, both of them still sore from Luan’s death. But they’d found family in each other. They were happy with each other. Reize was happy with him. Reize was happy.

“Donovan,” he said. “I think… I think I’m ready now.” He had the fleeting thought that it was getting hard to breathe, and pushed it back down.

“Alright,” Donovan said. “I’m here. I’ll be here the whole time. Just relax.”

Reize wasn’t sure if he was getting colder on the outside or the inside. He rested his head on Donovan’s chest again, faintly aware that the world seemed to be getting darker. He didn’t mind. He was just tired.

“Donovan,” he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I love you, okay?”

“I love you too, Reize.”

Reize smiled, and let the calm, the fatigue, the darkness overtake him. He closed his eyes, and then the world was quiet.

He was happy.

Donovan sat there, watching Reize. He’d gone still. He knew what had happened, but still watched him, hoping pointlessly that he’d somehow start moving again, start breathing again. But the longer he watched, the more the truth sank in. He sighed, holding him tight. This was his time, he reminded himself, this was how it was supposed to happen. He was in a better place now.

But Donovan sat there, holding Reize’s body, taking in the scope of the situation. Stranded in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere, with Reize gone. It occurred to him he’d have to be the one to bury him. No one else could. Luan had been gone for… too long now. He’d made a promise to Luan, hadn’t he? To keep Reize safe for him, to make sure he had a good life. Looking at him now, Donovan would almost say he failed. But he knew Reize was happy. He’d died happy. He couldn’t have failed him. His work was done, his promise kept. But still… it hurt. It hurt losing someone else, losing someone he was so close to, someone he cared for so deeply. And it hurt knowing that this wouldn’t be the last, that he was only going to keep losing those he loved. Looking out at the snow, he realized he’d been fighting back tears for fear of being selfish. But no one was here to watch, and the snow would take a while to pass.

So Donovan held Reize tight, and finally allowed himself to cry.

**Author's Note:**

> I think all the cool fanfic authors these days are promoting their twitters now, so if you wanna hear me yell abt shovel knight some more my twitter is @shoveledknight! i do art and some fic-like threads so if that's your thing come check me out ;y


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